This invention is concerned with a stripper for cables comprising one or more conductor wires a coating made of an insulating sheath, said stripper comprising a pair of levers articulated about an axis such as to define two actuating handles and two jaws which may be approached towards each other by actuating the said handles against the action of a return spring, a pair of blades fixed on said jaws and cooperating with one another in such a manner as to make an incision into the insulation sheath of the cable which has been inserted therebetween, in diametrically opposite points when the jaws are approached to one another, two cylindrical sectors having longitudinally knurled outside surfaces, said sectors being articulated on the extremities of said jaws about axes parallel to the articulation axes of said levers so that the knurled surfaces are disposed opposite to each other, a pair of fork elements each consisting of two articulated arms the extremities of which are articulated on said sectors at the center of curvature of the knurled surfaces, the arms of the fork elements having a common articulation axis extending between the handles parallel to the axis of articulation of the levers, the line which joins the articulation points of the cylindrical sectors onto the extremities of the jaws being arranged between the line which joints the articulation points of the sectors onto the extremities of the fork element arms and the axis of articulation of the levers.
With a cable stripper of this kind, the cable which has to be stripped on its ends is grasped by the cylindrical sectors and is incised by the blades in diametrically opposite points. By actuating the stripper the sectors entrain the cable towards the outside with respect to the blades which in turn retain the extremities of the incised sheath thereby stripping the latter from the conductor wires.
These known strippers have two essential drawbacks. First of all it is not possible to regulate the pressure with which the cylindrical sectors engage the cable, so that the efficiency with which the cable is dragged or entrained away with respect to the incision blades is not always optimum in respect to the diameter of the cable and in respect to the consistency of the material of which the insulation sheath is made. Furthermore, it is not possible with the known strippers to establish the length of the sheath portion which has to be stripped, unless an accurate positioning of the cable with respect to the stripper is made. To these drawbacks the shortcomings have to be added, which derive from the complex lever system through which the motion of the cylindrical sectors is transmitted, this lever system rendering the stripper very heavy.